Commercial Recycling Mandate

Business owners required to recycle

As of January 1, 2016, owners of commercial property in the seven-county metro area need to have recycling services along with garbage collection. The new law (Minn. Stat. 115A.151) applies to most commercial buildings that have service for 4 cubic yards (or more) of trash per week, and requires at least three material types be recycled.
Even if the law does not apply to you, it is still an opportunity to increase recycling. Most businesses don’t think about how much their trash is really costing them. With a 17 percent state tax on garbage, trashing recyclables can be expensive.
Minnesotans spend a lot of money throwing away recyclables every year. When they could be adding additional value to the economy. Recycling directly and indirectly supports nearly 37,000 jobs, and the materials have a value of over $250 million.
Many businesses find recycling good for business, as customers increasingly support companies committed to sustainable practices in their operations.

Setting up recycling can take some work, but assistance is available. Anoka County offers technical assistance, signage, training and a grant program to purchase recycling and organics collection containers. You can email or call 763-324-3481 for more information on the business recycling assistance.